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Coconut-Buttermilk Pound Cake

Toast coconut in a 350-degree oven for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often. Watch carefully when toasting; coconut can go from browned to burned before you know it.
Everyday Food, October 2012
  • Prep Time 30 minutes
  • Total Time 1 1/2 hours + cooling
  • Yield Serves 8
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Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk, divided
  • 1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut, toasted, divided
  • 1 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 4 1/2-by-8 1/2-inch loaf pan. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, using a mixer, beat butter and granulated sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy, 8 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed. Add vanilla, then eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping down bowl. With mixer on low, add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with two 1/2-cup additions buttermilk, and beat until combined. With a rubber spatula, fold in 1 1/4 cups coconut.

  2. Transfer batter to pan and bake until a skewer inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 60 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet, 1 hour. Remove cake from pan and let cool completely on rack. (Store at room temperature, wrapped in plastic, up to 4 days.)

  3. Whisk together confectioners' sugar and remaining 2 tablespoons buttermilk. Drizzle over cake and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup coconut.

Cook's Note

Tangy buttermilk balances this rich coconut cake. It's also used to make the thick glaze.

Recipe Reviews

  • Desirae
    4 Feb, 2013

    Made this for superbowl and everyone loved it!!! Really easy recipe too!

  • 1cinanim
    15 Nov, 2012

    I have made this pound cake 3 times since it was in the magazine. I love making it, and everyone loves eating it.
    I added 1/2 a tsp. of coconut flavoring because I had some on hand. But besides that I keep this recipe just the way it was intended.
    I think it will become one of my signature baking items I love it so much.